POTUS tests strength of his endorsement in Massie primary race
The president has relentlessly attacked Rep. Massie (R-Ky.) as the intense Kentucky primary race has captured the attention of the nation, pitting the power of a Trump endorsement and high-dollar donors against Massie’s stalwart bid to keep his seat
by Summer Lane | May 18, 2026
President Trump is pulling out all the stops this week as he goes after Congressman Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), attacking him relentlessly as the race for Kentucky’s 4th District hits the home stretch.
The president unleashed a string of criticisms against Massie and those supporting his reelection campaign over the weekend, labeling the incumbent lawmaker as the “Worst” congressman in the history of the Republican Party, and attacking him as a “disloyal, ungracious, and sanctimonious FOOL, who almost never votes for even the best of Republican Values.”
President Trump has endorsed a primary challenger, Ed Gallrein, in the race against Massie, and in doing so, he has put the power of his endorsement to the test. The small Kentucky race has hurtled past $32 million in ad spending, according to Politico, making it the single most expensive House primary race in U.S. history.
Strongly pro-Israel GOP donors have contributed many millions of dollars in donations to Gallrein’s campaign, the outlet reported – organizations like the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund and AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project.
President Trump has called Massie an “obstructionist and a fool” over the congressman’s independent streak when it comes to House votes.
“I’m one of the only Republicans in Congress who doesn’t take AIPAC [money]… I’m not against Israel…but we had votes where they tried to equate not just criticism of Israel but criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies with antisemitism,” Massie said at a recent policy event. “And I believe I’m one of the least xenophobic, not at all racist, not sexist, member of Congress, but they try to tag you that way. This is just a trick that they can equate you to being a bad person if you vote against their policies.”
Massie’s Trump-endorsed challenger, Ed Gallrein, was largely unknown in the broader U.S. before his entrance into the Kentucky race. Throughout the primary season, Gallrein refused to debate Massie, largely leaning into the power of the Trump endorsement and the subsequent high-dollar ad spending to carry his campaign.
When confronted recently at a campaign event over why he refused to debate Massie, Gallrein said, “I’m debating him right now.”
President Trump has praised Gallrein as a “great man” and, as a former Navy SEAL, described him as an “American War Hero.”
Conservative commentator and influencer Mike Cernovich said last week on X that the Kentucky primary would test whether podcasters and social media could drive votes the same way that “unlimited” donor money could.
“If Massie loses, every Congress member will be cowed into fear,” Cernovich observed. “If he wins, it’s a new media era.”
